time, calendar, and cosmology
What is the Vikrama Samvat and how does it differ from the Saka era?
The Vikrama Samvat
The Vikrama Samvat is said to begin around 57 BCE. Tradition links it to a king called Vikramaditya, though historians debate the details of who he was and exactly how the era started. This calendar is widely used across North and West India. Many Hindu festivals, religious almanacs called panchangs, and auspicious dates in these regions are calculated using it. Its new year falls at different times depending on the region, most commonly in spring around the month of Chaitra.
The Saka era
The Saka era begins around 78 CE, making it roughly 135 years younger than the Vikrama Samvat. Its origins are also debated. It became widely used in the Deccan and parts of South India, and in many Sanskrit inscriptions and astronomical texts. After independence, India adopted a reformed version of the Saka calendar as the official national calendar, called the Indian National Calendar. In that official form, the new year starts on the first day of the month of Chaitra, which usually falls in late March.
How they compare
Both calendars are lunisolar, meaning they track the moon's cycles but also adjust to keep in step with the solar year. They share the same month names. The main differences are where they start counting from, which new year day they mark, and where they are most used. If you see a Hindu date written with the letters VS or Samvat, it is the Vikrama system. If you see SE or Saka, it is the Saka era. Because the two eras start at different points, the year numbers are always different even when the calendars are describing the same moment in time.
Today
In daily life, most Hindus in North and West India follow the Vikrama Samvat for religious purposes. The Saka calendar appears in official Indian government documents, like gazette notifications, alongside the Gregorian calendar. Many people outside India encounter the Vikrama Samvat through their panchang or through regional new year celebrations like Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, or Chaitra Navratri. Which calendar a family follows often depends on their regional roots.